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http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/dev.html -- Bay12 updated yesterday their dev notes re: artifacts, myth & world generation, and magic.
It will most likely be several years before an appreciable amount of this stuff is implemented. Nevertheless, VERY interesting revelations.

The word "ambitious" isn't really sufficient to describe the scope of what they want to implement, is it?

The whole thing was fascinating, but one thing that stood out for me was the distinction they made between magic that's innate and magic that's learned (as through research). One of the first essays I wrote (around 1993) was basically a description of a categorization of systems of magic and the kinds of social structures you get depending on which system of magic exists.

This was a four-quadrant model in which one axis was whether the power for magic was internal or external, and the other axis was whether anyone could use magic or only some people can. This yielded four major ways in which magic is usually represented:

Inherited (some people, internal control): a few people get magic ability genetically

These cover most of the most popular systems of magic, but not all. Although there are magical objects in Tolkien's Middle-Earth, for example, a crucial form of magic is supplication: pleading in extremity for aid.

The story in this novel was fine, but what inspired me to write about it was the system of five distinct magical styles that the author had his protagonist apply:

Thaumaturgy: manipulation of matter through incantations and will

Alchemy: combine and refine materials to get desired effects

Magic: imbue objects with powers through repeated rituals

Sorcery: spend your lifeforce through a magical incantation

Wizardry: summon and control demons

Again, this list covers systems pretty well, but it's not complete, either. For example, it leaves out necromancy (similar to Hardy's wizardry but not identical), which (going by the Adams's wish list) is already a thing in Dwarf Fortress.

It's great fun to see -- even in outline -- other people grappling with this idea of how to represent different varieties of magic in computer games, and what the consequences of enabling particular systems of magic may be on the societies in worlds where these forms of magic exist.

Toady has retired the old Future of the Fortress thread (starting a new one on Canada day, of all days) at 306 pages, letting the last question answered be:

NCommander wrote:Looking at Dwarf Mode right now, what systems in your mind are currently "mostly placeholder" vs. more or less complete?

Toady One wrote:Everything is subject to change. Some of them just won't change because I don't get there, but I don't really think of the game in terms of complete vs. incomplete so much. Just in terms of where the plan will take it, insofar as the plan has been made, and which parts of the plan are closer than others. There are lots of things that we'd like to merge (like the whole zone/pile/room/workshop/etc.), but it's unclear what we'll actually get to... none of it feels very done to me. Is there anything that would survive the rewrites we already have posted on the new or old dev pages?

Toady One wrote:Alright, I'm ready to move to dwarf mode for this release! The main features will be the ability to send dwarf squads off the map, artifact-based diplomacy with sieging forces and others, and artifact-interested questers and critters coming to the fort.

Dwarf squads off the map in fortress mode!! This may mean you can actually attack goblin settlements. That would be seriously exciting. I expect pages of information, though.

So...after some short requests on IRC...now my most important floors of my current fortress:
I present to you, my main Floor, mostly dominated by the Stockpiles for Wood and Stone (yet to be designated once I cleaned everything)
On the left side is my Carpentry Workshop with its own (temporary until I dealed with all those cave-ins from my outside farm) Wood-Stockpile

For Info: The main Stockpile for wood clocks in at 93x32 Tiles, adding up to 2976 Tiles full of Anti-Elven Demonstrations.